Circuit breaker



June 25, 1935. wl E. scHwARzMANN C IRCUIT BREAKER Filed Sept. 16, 1932 ATTORNEY Patented June 25, 1935 UNITED ASTATES PATENT OFFICE CIRCUIT BREAKER York Application September 16, 1932, Serial No. 633,412

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for making and breaking electrical circuits; and particularly to a circuit breaker for the electrical ignition circuits of internal combustion 5 engines.

It is an object of the invention to provide a circuit breaker for an ignition circuit of simple but eiiicient construction with the parts mounted to facilitate adjustment and capable of embodiment to include one or more sets of contact points.

The nature and scope of the invention is fully set forth in the ensuing description, and the novel features are pointed out in the appended claims. But the disclosure is, of course, explanatory only and changes may be made without departing from the principle of the invention or exceeding the breadth of the terms in which the claims are expressed.

On the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan of a circuit breaker according to this invention; and

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof partly in section.

On the drawing the same numerals identify the same parts throughout.

In the form illustrated herein the circuit breaker comprises a base or mounting plate I on which is pivotally mounted a pair of interrupter levers 2, each carrying a movable contact point 3 which cooperates with a fixed contact point 4. Attached to each interrupter lever 2 is a bent leaf spring 5 which is anchored at its opposite end to a supporting post 6 rigidly secured to the base I. The circuit breaker is thus shown as embracing two interrupter levers with cooperating fixed electrodes, but obviously one such interrupter lever and its cooperating contact may be employed or more than two may be mounted on the base I according to requirements of design. The interrupter is especially adapted for use with airplane engines and it may be used on engines of other types as Well.

On the base I, further, is mounted a pair of condensers 1, one of which is to be bridged across each pair of contacts 3 and 4. These condensers 45 have their insulated poles connected by metallic straps 8 to the posts 6; the opposite pole of the condenser being grounded on the metallic base I, each of these straps and the spring 5 of the associated pair of interrupter contacts being anchored to the posts 6 by means of a screw or other fastening device 9. The posts 6 are rigidly attached to the base I by rivets I passing through openings in the base into suitable bores in the bottom of the posts 6. The rivets I0 are of smaller diameter than these openings and are surrounded by insulating sleeves II within the openings; while insulating washers I2 prevent contact between the bottoms of the posts and the heads of the rivets with the base plate I. Cooperating with these insulating washers I2, the posts 6 have ree'nforcing plates I3 at the lower ends thereof and extending laterally, as shown in Fig. 1, to brace said posts when rivets I0 are tightened. The posts 6 although of metal are, therefore, electrically disconnected from the plate I and are securely attached to the plate; and each of these posts forms a suitable fulcrum for the spring secured to it by means of the screw 9.

Each interrupter lever 2, which isof insulation, is mounted upon the upper end of a metallic post I4, which is affixed to the base I by reducing the lower end thereof, passing it through an opening in the base and then riveting the lower end over to make it engage the opening firmly. The upper ends of these posts may be reduced as shown at I5; these reduced extremities passing through openings in the levers 2; and these levers can therefore turn about the upper ends of the posts I4 as pivots or journals to move the contact points 3 into or out of engagement with the contact points 4.

Each fixed contact 4 is mounted upon the upright part of an L-shaped post or bracket I6, the horizontal section l1 of which rests upon the base plate I. This section has slots I8 and I9 therein at right angles to each other. Screws pass through the slots I8 and additional screws 2i may pass through the slots I9 into threaded openings formed in the plate I; so that these brackets I6 can be adjusted as required to keep the contacts 4 in correct position. Each of the movable contacts 3 is aiixed to a metallic strip 22, these strips partly enveloping the insulating portions of the circuit breaker levers 2 on both sides of the pivoted end thereof; while the extremities of these strips adjacent the central opening 24 of the circuit breaker are bent or curled over as shown at 23. When this circuit breaker is mounted in operative position a shaft, not shown, will pass through the central opening 24 and carry on this end a cam which will engage the ends 23 of the strips 22 periodically to move the circuit breaker levers and separate the contacts 3 and 4. As the cam passes the curved over ends 23, the springs 5 will cause the contacts 3 and 4 to reengage each other.

To hold the condensers I in place on the base I, the base has upright projections 25, preferably integral therewith, and to these projections are secured clamps 26 which encircle the condensers and are attached to the projections 25 by screws 9 similar to those engaging the posts 6.

The circuit breaker levers 2 rest upon shoulders 21 formed by the reduced upper ends I5 of the posts I4 and are prevented from becoming displaced by cotter pins 28 and Washers 29.

In practice the metallic brackets I 6 are in electrical c'onnection Witl the bls f, lfut the m65?- able ctat pont 3 whicliL airetlzai'ried Ey the insulating bodies of the breaker levers 2 are in electrical connection with the posts 6 only. posts are insulated from the base by the sleeves I I and washers I2. The posts Ii are theifipro'- vided with bores 30 passing through the' same from side to side near the upper' ends; and the outer ends of these posts are threaddopeniiigs to receive screws 3l, the inner ends 32 of which enter the bores 30 and engage the endsl of the electrical conductors of the supply circuitv to hold these conductors fast. Current can thus ow to each of the postsUIi and througli4 the springs 5 and strips 22 tothenmovable contacts 3f and thence by W'ay of the nxe'd contacts 4 to ground. Hence whenever the levers 2 are actuated to separate the contacts 3' and 4 the circuit islbrolinl 'The condensers are `each in parallel with on pair of contacts 3 and 4 because the insulated pole therf is united to theassociated posts 6I through the conductor 8 and the other liefe;` like nie ieek'ets is, isl eieeirieeuy een ritd to the 'supporting plate I wit-:ii uns' construction, the circuits connected to` the t`W`6 pairs f tacts are opened in turn, when the inter'pt'r' is mounted in operative positie'fi and me ends' 23 ei the strips' z2 are engaged by tl c'a on the shaft iii the opening 24.E The base i can of course be shifted to give the required angular adjustment when trie instant of ignition iste be' advanced retarded.

The eitiie construction is very simple and efcient and comparatively inexpensive to produce and by shifting the brackets I 6, when the screws I8 and I9 have been loosened, these brackets can be given the correct positions for proper engagement of the contacts 3 and 4.

Having described the invention, What is claimed is: f j

1. A circuit breaker cojifnp'ris'irigyall disc, an uprightv condenser attached to said disc", tl''e latter having a bent-up projection and a clamp sur- `iioilinding the condenser and secured tc said prolectiva "2. A circuit breaker comprising a disc, a fixed and a movable contact on said disc, an upright terrupter lever of insulationpivoted on said post,

a metallic strip carried by said lever having a contact on one `end, the other end being bent-over, a post attached to said disc but insulated therefrom, means on said last-named post for securing a conductor thereto, a spring attached to the lever and extending in one direction and to the last-named post, an upright condenser on the disc, the latterhaving a bent-up projection, a clamp surrounding the condenser and secured to said projection, said post being disposed between the condenser and the lever and a connection extending in the opposite direction from said last,-

named post to said condenser. j

WOLFGANG E. SCHWARZMANN. 

